


Kids These Days

by wuffen



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Daddy Kink, Getting Together, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Power Play, Sexual Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-20 19:14:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3661788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wuffen/pseuds/wuffen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tadashi Hamada may or may not have a crush on his robotics professor.</p>
<p>Or more like he definitely does have a crush on his robotics professor and it makes learning things kind of difficult, unless those things are how many sweater vests Robert Callaghan owns or what kind of tea he likes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first piece of fiction I've written since elementary school, so you gotta thank the wonderful April Fools Day Fandom Bodyswap challenge over at tumblr for this reading experience. My apologies for any mistakes my sloppy brain has failed to detect.

Tadashi could feel the excitement in every inch of his body. It tingled all over his scalp, the soft hair at the back of his neck bristling. It ran hot down his arms making his muscles flex and his fingertips tap against the desk in front of him in rapid, irregular patterns. His right knee was desperate to bounce up and down to match the rhythm of his fingers, and his toes curled and flexed themselves on their own accord. It was as though the air itself was vibrating all around him, making him hyper aware of every single movement in his vicinity.

Despite the exhilarating bolt of electricity running through his body and settling somewhere deep under his abdomen his face remained still and expressionless. He counted maintaining a calm facade as one of his special talents, one that years of babysitting a walking talking doomsday device had perfected. His brother had a knack for getting himself in trouble with pretty much everyone one could possibly get in trouble with, and it often (always) fell onto Tadashi to talk the brat out of whatever pickle he'd gotten himself into. When faced with a mob of angry bot fighters thrice his size the ability to appear calm and humble was almost as good a weapon as a very fast scooter, so Tadashi made sure to possess both.

Today, however, he was struggling. The skin of his forehead felt tight stretched over his brow and every few seconds he caught himself just in time before his lower lip found its way between his teeth.

He pulled out his textbook – _Advanced robotics 1_ – and opened it at the first chapter. Yes, he could make some last minute notes, that would give him something to do and distract him from this agonizing anticipation, surely. He took out his pen. Not that there was any empty space left on the pages, Tadashi had scribbled the margins full of his own remarks months ago, and there wasn't really a need to take notes either. At this point he knew every word by heart. In the end he only wound up blankly staring at the book in front of him, and tapping the pen against his desk.

The latter was a mistake, he noted, but it was already too late; the student to his left, an absolutely enormous guy in a green cardigan much too grandfatherly to match the rest of his appearance, turned towards him.

“Nervous, huh?”

“Uh, no, not really”, Tadashi replied, berating himself for getting caught. “I just... The professor, I'm a fan of his work.”

The bigger man let out a high-pitched squeal. Another contradiction, Tadashi thought.

“Oh! Me too! Callaghan's Laws of Robotics! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! And his theories on the practical applications of laser tech are--”

“Groundbreaking, or so I've been told.”

Both students jumped at the new voice that had disrupted them. There was a man standing in the doorway, just a few meters away from their front-row seats. It took Tadashi whopping 0.2 seconds to recognize the intruder – which was of course only to be expected, since the guy's face had been plastered all over every robotics publication for the past 30 years or so. Not that Tadashi had ever spent more time than necessary looking at those pictures, and he definitely didn't have any on his phone to look at when the lights were out and his brother was asleep. That would be ridiculous.

This was the real thing though. Tadashi had to remind himself to breathe.

Robert Callaghan was older, maybe in his 60s judging by the gray hair and the wrinkles around his mouth, and he was wearing a navy blue shirt that matched his eyes. He had rolled up his sleeves to reveal muscular, hairy arms and Tadashi couldn't help but stare. His hands were so big. With hands like that--

Tadashi stopped himself before finishing the thought. No. He was there to study robotics. To learn from the best. And the best was standing right in front of him. Looking amazing, yes, but that was irrelevant. He didn't even know the guy. Only his work.

“Thank you for your flattery, but note that it will not help you survive in this program.” Callaghan spoke as he made his way towards the lecturer's desk. His voice was deep and warm and sent shivers down Tadashi's spine.

The older man lifted his gaze from Tadashi's classmate (who appeared to be trying to hide his embarrassment by organizing his pencil case and failing miserably) and raised his voice to address the rest of the lecture hall.

“This program is not about me, it is about you. Welcome. You are here because you are the most promising. Not the best, mind you, but every single one of you has potential for greatness. Your job is to show it to me, and my job is to make it blossom. Never hesitate to come forward with your doubts and insecurities, I am here to help you through them. By the end of your five years under my care we shall stand on equal ground as colleagues in science. I'm looking forward to your ascent.”

The man smiled at the awed silence that greeted him. He moved to put down the briefcase he was holding and set down his supplies. Tadashi found himself following his every move, from the way he delicately placed each item on the desk to the small chuckle that escaped his lips as he glanced up at the class that was still silent enough to make one think it was made of statues.

“Well then”, Callaghan said, still smiling. “Let's start with introductions, shall we. I am Professor Callaghan. Some of you may have heard of me before.”

That earned him a few confused giggles and one rather inappropriate spurt of laughter from his audience, and the atmosphere in the lecture hall relaxed immediately, as though all of the students had finally released the breath they had been holding ever since their teacher walked in through the door.

“Now, please state your name and briefly describe your admission project”, he said, and pointed toward the guy on Tadashi's left, who now had organized every item in front of him in neat lines. “Starting with you, since you were so full of enthusiasm just now.”

The guy started talking, probably, not that Tadashi could hear a single word. He felt his heart drop and stomach lurch, his face was hot and his palms were starting to get slick with sweat. Every cell in his body was filled to the brim with regret over picking a front-row seat – not because he was afraid to talk, no, he just hadn't expected the professor he had idolized for as long as he could remember to make him speak so soon and standing so close and oh god looking at him from such a short distance and _what had he been thinking._

This was bad.

All the same, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the man in front of him, from the way he nodded periodically, apparently in reaction to whatever Well-organized Weird Cardigan Guy was saying and Tadashi wasn't hearing, to the way he was resting his chin on his left hand and the elegant watch on his wrist glistened in the sunlight that was beaming through the tall windows around them. 

Tadashi was mesmerized by the silvery strands of hair falling on the older man's forehead when he realized that Callaghan was looking at him. Cardigan Guy must've had stopped talking. Oh crap. Crap crap crap crap. He tried his best to remember his own name.

“Uh, my turn?” He pointed at himself for confirmation.

The smile on Callaghan's face made Tadashi's heart skip a beat. Having a face like that should be illegal.

“Yes, your turn, mr..?”

“Hamada. Tadashi Hamada. My admission project was the, uh--”

“Ah, the remote-controlled set of enhanced surgical tools that you said would revolutionize robotic surgery. I remember you well. Very impressive. I expect great things from you, mr. Hamada. Don't let me down.”

Tadashi was certain he had lost consciousness and was currently experiencing a very vivid fever dream, even though as far as he knew he didn't have a fever nor had he ever fainted in his life but there was this heat that was spreading from his face to his chest and his stomach and lower still and did _Robert Callaghan_ actually remember _his_ project out of the entire showcase just from hearing his name? This definitely wasn't real.

His existential crisis was interrupted by the sound of his own voice. It was unexpectedly clear and full of conviction – oh right, that is what his voice always sounded like, that was what he was good at, being confident and calm and making a good impression. Somehow his heart trying to jump out of his chest made it hard to remember. 

“Thank you, sir. I won't.”

For a fleeting moment Callaghan looked like he was taken aback by the forwardness of Tadashi's reply, but almost as soon as the look of astonishment had appeared it was replaced by yet another one of those should-totally-be-illegal smiles. His eyes squinting in that way that made him look like he might burst into laughter at any moment, the left corner of his mouth slightly higher than the right. Yes, definitely illegal.

As the line of introductions crept forward Tadashi Hamada struggled to make peace with the fact that he was going to learn absolutely nothing on his first day at the robotics program of San Fransokyo Tech.

\--

That night Tadashi couldn't sleep. Across the room Hiro was snoring loudly, and Mochi had decided to pick Tadashi's stomach as his bed, which was rather uncomfortable given the cat's size. But that was nothing out of the ordinary, his brother always snored when he had a cold and Mochi's weight had become a familiar and comforting presence years ago. No, his current problem was completely unrelated to his surroundings.

Robert Callaghan.

No, _Professor_ Callaghan.

Sure, Tadashi had admired the man ever since learning of his existence, as any robotics enthusiast his age would have. It was nothing special. And maybe he had a little crush. Maybe. But so far it had been completely innocent and, well, safe, since Callaghan was so far away he may as well have been a fictional character. Now, however, he was real. For the next five years Tadashi would see him almost every single day. See him, talk to him, stand right next to him.

It was utterly preposterous. Tadashi should've been terrified. Instead, all he could feel was excitement, the kind of excitement that invigorated him and made him absolutely invincible. And unable to sleep, apparently.

Mochi meowed in protest as Tadashi rolled onto his side, forcing the cat to fall off of him. Still his eyes refused to stay shut.

Reluctantly he reached for his phone on the nightstand next to his bed and flipped through his photos until one of the pictures of Callaghan he would go to his grave denying of possessing came up. It was an old one, from an article that was published maybe five years ago, and Tadashi noted how the professor's hair only had a few silver streaks in it. Five years could do a lot, huh. Now his hair was completely gray. Tadashi's eyes followed the wrinkles on the man's face, already prominently lining his mouth and chin and making his brow look pensive and his entire face so unbelievably warm and welcoming. He looked like a person who had laughed a lot in his life, Tadashi thought. He wondered what he would look like laughing, or even better, what he would _sound_ like.

Alright, maybe the crush wasn't just a little one. Maybe it was a big one. And maybe it was getting bigger the more Tadashi thought about being able to see the man again in just a few hours. Tomorrow he would definitely talk to him. Maybe ask to shake his hand. Yeah. That wasn't suspicious at all, wanting to shake the hand of a fellow scientist whose work has affected your own so much.

The thought of actually physically touching God Incarnate sent a gush of warmth down Tadashi's esophagus all the way to his stomach. Against his will his mind wandered back to the older man's hands and the thought he had willed himself to leave unfinished that morning.

Callaghan's hand on his shoulder. The weight of it, the area it could cover, the heat radiating from it. Tadashi's own hand instinctively found his shoulder in a crude attempt to imitate his imagination. Slowly his hand slid to rest at the back of his neck – Callaghan's hand, it would be big enough to cover it completely, the other man's fingers curling in a solid hold in his hair, able to direct Tadashi's head any way he'd choose.

Tadashi heard himself whimper at the thought and immediately snapped out of the fantasy. Wow, that sure was an uncharacteristic sound to come out of him, and also this was not the place for these thoughts, with his brother sleeping just a few meters away from him and a cat purring by his side.

He pondered on his options for a moment, assessing the urgency of the growing pressure within his boxers.

Well, he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep like this anyway.

Slowly he got up and made his way through the dark room, carefully stepping over the clutter that his brother had a habit of leaving lying around the floor, down the hallway and the stairs to the downstairs bathroom. All the bedrooms in the house were upstairs, so this way he could have the most privacy possible in their circumstances. He made sure to lock the door before sitting down on the bathroom floor. The tiles felt cold against his bare back and the rug was still a little damp from showering, and Tadashi did his best to ignore the slimy and brown hem of the shower curtain and the splashes of who knows what under the sink.

This was far from ideal.

Alas, it was the only place he had. So he set his mind, and hands, in motion.

Where was he? Oh, right, Callaghan's hand at the back of his neck, grabbing him by the hair. A good place to be. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair and grabbed a handful. A choked whine escaped his throat as he imagined Callaghan there, looming over him, gently but firmly guiding his face upwards, the feel of the man's stubble scratchy and warm and wonderful against his cheeks and chin, their breaths mingling and the scent of cologne surrounding them.

He imagined Callaghan's chest, hairy and broad and close, so close, the heat of the man's body engulfing his own. A large hand sliding down Tadashi's own chest, warm fingers lingering at his ribs, counting them and following their curves, a thumb brushing over his nipples and the other hand still at the back of his neck pulling, pulling, pulling until their lips would meet and the taste of coffee on the older man's tongue would fill his mouth.

Tadashi felt his hips buck forward and he let out a quiet moan. The hand on his chest moved lower, trailing small circles down his abdomen and finally meeting the fabric of his boxers. The pressure within was almost painful now. As he pressed his hand firmly against himself through the fabric he felt his breath get caught in his throat and imagined Callaghan pressing his thigh there, pinning Tadashi against a wall, carrying his weight as his knees would buckle and all strength leave his body, the older man's breath hot on his neck.

It was too much.

Finally Tadashi gave in and kicked his boxers away, his other hand at last releasing his hair and making its way down. He started stroking himself with both hands, imagining Callaghan's fingers delicately working him up and down, the man's lips leaving a hot, wet trail from his neck to his ear and teeth nibbling at his earlobe. As he picked up his pace he could no longer hold in his gasps and grunts, and his back was arching uncomfortably and his toes curling and hips bucking and head reeling and he was getting so, so close but not quite there--

“Come now, that's a good boy. Come for me.”

He could swear he felt Callaghan's lips move against his skin to form the words and the man's breath on his ear, and the sound of his voice was so tangible and real and _there_ it took all he had to keep his eyes shut, and he felt the muscles in his thighs and abdomen spasm and he buried his face in his knees with a muffled moan as his orgasm shook him.

He remained that way, curled in on himself, catching his breath and waiting for his pulse to slow down to its normal pace. The bathroom around him suddenly felt cold and empty, the heat of Callaghan's presence gone without a trace, and Tadashi suddenly became very aware of the sticky mess covering his hands and his thighs, as well as the way his sweaty skin stuck to the wall behind him.

Slowly he opened his eyes and squinted in the bright light that greeted him. The fantasy was gone and all that remained was cold tile and empty space and slimy shower curtain and wet rug and dirty sink. He stood up, careful not to touch anything with his dirty hands, and rinsed himself off.

As Tadashi made his way back upstairs the exhaustion hit him, hard. He hurried to their bedroom and almost tripped on a pile of books in the middle of the floor, silently cursing his stubbed toe before throwing himself face-first onto his bed.

Guess he was going to get some sleep tonight after all.

\--

With morning came the gravity of what had occurred. Not that anyone else noticed a thing, but the giddiness Tadashi felt as he approached the university grounds was of an entirely different species from the excitement he had experienced in the lecture hall the previous day. This one seemed to have nested under his lungs, making his breathing feel shallow and his whole body feel like he was in free-fall. 

He felt kind of nauseous.

Still there was a bounce in his step, put there by his determination to stick to his plan despite everything; talk to Professor Callaghan, and ask to shake his hand. Shouldn't be hard since they were starting lab work today, and that should give ample opportunity to catch the professor on his own and not appear suspicious or pushy or weird or anything out of the ordinary.

How he'd be able to face the man at all after what he'd done was of course still an issue. He didn't exactly feel like he had done anything wrong or shameful (only “slightly” inappropriate), but he was afraid of not being able to control his thoughts around Callaghan and he might space out and embarrass himself, and that, that he couldn't let happen, not _again,_ not in front of _him._

It was nerve-wracking, but at the same time half of his brain was completely fixated on the possibility of physical contact. Times like these made Tadashi question his right to attend such a prestigious program when he was clearly just your average teenage boy pumped full of hormones and oddly obsessed with a professor's hands and laughter lines and voice and presence and blue eyes and the silver in his hair.

He shook his head as he slid open the door to the lab.

The real Callaghan was so much more beautiful than the one in his head.

“Mr. Hamada. How good of you to join us.”

 _That's a good boy,_ said the voice in Tadashi's head, a whisper that echoed at the back of his skull. This was obviously going to be even harder than he'd imagined.

\--

“Now, mr. Hamada, do you have any thoughts on what your first robotics project is going to be centered around?”

The lab had been divided between the students so each of them would have their own workspace. Professor Callaghan had walked them through the supply closets, 3D printers, and online ordering forms, and then proceeded to visit each student's station individually to map out the possible renovations and electronics and special supplies needed for the kind of building and experimentation they would require. Tadashi had ended up with the space at the back of the large hall, with a big round window and a lovely view of the cherry trees that grew behind the building. Callaghan was currently hunched over Tadashi's desk, investigating the tools Tadashi had grabbed during the supply closet tour.

“Uh, yes, sir, I do. I would really like to continue with surgical robotics, or some other medical applications of the tech. I want to make something that will help a lot of people.” Tadashi paused, and then hesitantly added, “And, sir, please, could I persuade you to drop the 'mister', it feels odd coming from someone like you.”

Maybe that was too forward. Or inappropriate. Yeah, it probably was, the latter at least. He risked a glance at Callaghan. The older man looked slightly startled, but amused all the same. And maybe, was that curiosity? Tadashi couldn't tell.

“Someone like me? Do elaborate.” His tone sounded almost teasing. Although Tadashi was about 89% sure he was imagining it.

“I'm sorry, sir, I mean someone I admire. I've followed your work my whole life and I-- uh. Having someone so far above me address me in such a respectful manner sounds weird. Or maybe it's just me who's weird”, he finished with a nervous chuckle.

Sometime during his speech his right hand had found its way to the back of his neck and was now resting there, immediately flooding Tadashi's head with memories of the night before. Oh great, as if he wasn't riled up enough already.

He quickly withdrew his hand.

“Of course if it makes you in any way uncomfortable, sir, just forget I said anything. It's not a big deal.”

Callaghan looked even more amused. Probably. It really was quite hard to tell at Tadashi's current emotional state. But he was smiling and had crossed his arms and was now leaning on Tadashi's desk, his attention completely on the boy in front of him.

“Alright”, he said, finally. “But it feels impersonal to address a student with just a surname. First name okay with you?”

Tadashi felt like screaming. Like, screeching, and maybe running in circles around the lab, or the building, or the city, or the country. Or the planet. Or the universe. Whatever.

“Yes! I mean, yes, absolutely, totally fine. Thank you, sir.”

“Good, then. But remember, I am not above you. Not for long, anyway. I'm looking forward to your project.”

To Tadashi's astonishment the older man offered him his hand. Tadashi took it without hesitation and made sure to return the firm squeeze. Callaghan's hand was just as big and warm and wonderful as he had imagined, and oh god he even did that thing where he'd bring _both his hands_ to a handshake, completely encasing Tadashi's smaller hand between them. Tadashi felt like his knees might fail him at any moment.

The moment was over far too soon (and far too late at the same time), and the professor turned to walk away. After a few steps he stopped, however, and glanced back at Tadashi from over his shoulder. The definitely-illegal smile had made its appearance once more, Tadashi noted. This was unfair.

“Oh, and Tadashi”, Callaghan said, “drop the 'sir'.”

Definitely unfair.

\--

It wasn't shameful. It really wasn't.

Well, in the privacy of his own home it wasn't.

This was a public restroom. Well, maybe not exactly public, but a university restroom, someplace other people, strangers even, could walk in and hear him.

This truly wasn't Tadashi's proudest moment.

But there he was all the same, in a stall sitting on a toilet, with his hands down his pants. What an amazing role model he was, valedictorian and big brother, too engrossed in the urgency of this need to pay heed to common decency. Or common sense. Or common anything at all. This was not common. Probably. He had thought as much when he had slipped out of the lab as nonchalantly as he could and power walked down the hall with what must've been a world-record speed, but the heat radiating from his right hand had demanded to be addressed.

His right hand. The hand Callaghan had touched. Held, even.

That hand was currently wrapped around his cock. This was wildly inappropriate but boy was he in too deep to care one bit.

He let his mind wander again.

He imagined Callaghan grabbing his hand and pulling him flush against his body, guiding Tadashi's arms around his neck while his own hands would find the boy's waist and pull him even closer. Tadashi tried to imagine the feel of Callaghan's hair wrapped around his fingers and the man's stubbly chin chafing his neck, and how the hands on his waist would slide down and slip into the back pockets of his pants and squeeze and pull and _lift_ until he'd be standing on the balls of his feet and the two bodies would be pressed together so firmly he'd think they were conjoined from the waist down.

Tadashi imagined Callaghan's mouth on his neck again, this time gently biting the sensitive skin, and the hands on his ass lifting him again, grinding, grinding, grinding, and the thought made him squirm on his seat, hips desperate to imitate the action. He bit his lip not to moan and picked up his pace, painfully aware that he probably didn't have much time.

He knew the road to a quick release.

So he took a deep breath and concentrated. He tuned out the humming of the plumbing and the sound of footsteps in the hallway and as he squeezed his eyes shut just a bit tighter he felt the familiar sensation of lips moving against the skin of his neck and a hot breath on his ear.

“Hold on to me, I've got you.”

Callaghan's voice vibrated through Tadashi's entire body. He imagined the older man's arms wrapping around him, supporting his weight, and his own arms tightening their hold on Callaghan's shoulders, his face buried in the warmth of the man's neck, Callaghan's pulse quick but steady and comforting against his skin.

“Good, don't let go. Good boy.”

Already he could feel the pressure building up. Almost there. Just a little bit more--

“Tadashi.”

The sound of his name hung in the air and echoed from the walls and filled Tadashi's head and suddenly his muscles were spasming again and he came all over his hands with a deep sigh.

It was nowhere near as intense or satisfying as it had been the night before. It was probably the location. Yeah. Definitely not the fact that now he actually knew what his name sounded like coming from Callaghan's lips and what the older man's skin felt like against his, and that meant that his pathetic fantasy would always fall short of the real thing and he knew it.

Tadashi resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands – which he had yet to wipe clean – and leaned back instead, his head resting against the cold wall behind him.

The real thing.

He wanted it _so bad._

\--

Unsurprisingly, being around Callaghan turned out to be kind of complicated after that. It wasn't unpleasant, far from it – more like _too_ pleasant. Tadashi was a little disturbed by his lack of self-control. In addition to thinking wholly inappropriate thoughts whenever Callaghan was anywhere near him he'd find himself taking mental notes of the older man's behaviors throughout the day, from his subconscious mannerisms to the nonverbal noises he made. As it turned out Callaghan drank green tea more often than coffee, he was a fan of sweater vests, and had a habit of humming when he was concentrating. He also scratched his chin when he was listening to a student's long explanation of whatever it was they were doing, and softly clicked his tongue when he was genuinely impressed.

Tadashi would've been lying had he claimed to collect this information for purely scientific purposes, but that didn't mean he wouldn't keep telling himself just that.

What those scientific purposes were supposed to be he had no idea, but it was better than just calling it Spank Bank Deposit.

The main problem, however, was that he couldn't make up his mind about whether he wanted Callaghan to notice or remain oblivious.

On one hand Tadashi was not one to blush and shy away – he always preferred action over inaction, and he was generally straightforward with his own feelings, even if he wasn't quite certain what these particular feelings actually were. All he knew was that in just a few weeks he had gone from “this man I idolize gives me butterflies” to “I want this man to slam me against the wall and devour me”, and that change was too dramatic to ignore.

Especially since this was the first time he had _ever_ thought of such a thing. Sure he had had crushes before, he had dated and done things, but he had always thought of himself as the instigator, the aggressor, the one who'd take his partner by the hand and walk them through new experiences and be there for them. It was his big brother personality, probably. He was always the one who'd take responsibility to keep the people around him standing, he'd boost their confidence when they were insecure, he'd tell them he loved them and of course it wasn't a lie and of course he was happy and proud of being able to have a positive effect like that on people he held dear.

But this was so different. So, so different.

And it was _thrilling._

Maybe he could be the one being led and guided and encouraged and held and handled for once. The idea was beyond exciting.

It was also selfish, he knew, but maybe this was that one time in his life he could allow himself to be selfish, for just a little while. Maybe. He still wasn't sure what to do, or what he really wanted. But the thoughts were real and there, and he would have to do something about them eventually, because working alongside the cause of it all could only get more awkward as time went by.

Then again, the chances of Callaghan reciprocating were not the best, given both their position and what must've been a 40 year age gap between them, and quite frankly Tadashi wasn't sure what he could possibly have to offer to Robert Callaghan of all people at his current state.

So he'd simply have to become the most brilliant student in the whole program before making a move.

No biggie.

\--

Okay, “most brilliant” was definitely an exaggeration, as well as essentially impossible. First of all, all the students in his program were absolutely amazing. Second, their projects were so different from each other that they didn't even compete in the same category.

Third, Tadashi's project was a complete failure.

He had been so proud when he had presented Callaghan with his plan to build an affordable, light-weight, completely independent and interactive healthcare robot that would ensure high-quality care for all. At the end of his presentation Callaghan had said “Good work”, and _patted his shoulder_ and that alone was enough to make his confidence shoot through the roof and probably all the way up to Andromeda.

However, by the 33rd test run of this magnificently unsuccessful project he had named 'Baymax' he had convinced himself that he was in fact the most un-brilliant student in the whole program and should probably drop out and let Hiro have the honor of being the sole genius in the family.

Unsurprisingly the 33rd test run was a failure. Although this time his robot didn't maim him or wreck his workspace, it somehow managed to cut the power from the entire lab, much to the delight of his classmates. At least it was so late at night that there were only a few other students present, so he hadn't destroyed everyone's day's work. Just his friends'. Great.

He finished filming his video journal and sat on the floor, his head on his knees. He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. The darkness wasn't so bad, he thought, although he did wish he hadn't been the cause of it.

He wouldn't give up. No. Too many things were at stake here. He just needed a break.

The lights started flickering back on, too soon for Tadashi's liking. Someone must've turned on the emergency generator. Which was good of course, obviously everyone else shouldn't have to brood in darkness just because he wanted to.

He still would've wanted to remain invisible for a little while longer.

This desire grew even stronger as he heard footsteps approaching. He needed to compose himself and whoever it was obviously couldn't take the hint. As if curling up into a ball on the floor wasn't a clear enough message to stay the heck away from him.

“Walk me through it.”

Crap crap _crap._ A tsunami of embarrassment hit Tadashi so hard he almost fell over. He immediately staggered onto his feet and turned to face Professor Callaghan, who was standing there like the perfect angelic being that he was in his ridiculous sweater vest and khakis and holding two cups of tea.

“Ah, professor! I was just, I mean, I was taking a little breather”, he managed to spit out, but stopped talking as Callaghan handed him one of the steaming cups.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Now, Tadashi, walk me through what happened.”

Callaghan's voice was stern but not unfriendly. Tadashi took a sip of his tea – it was a bit bitter but soothing. _This was what Callaghan's mouth probably tasted like--_

No. Baymax. They were talking about Baymax.

Tadashi was careful not to meet Callaghan's eyes. Instead, he led the professor to his sad excuse of a project and channeled the adrenaline in his blood into a detailed description of the specifics of this particular failed experiment. Callaghan listened in silence, sipping his tea every once in a while. Tadashi could feel the older man's eyes on him, following every wave of his hand. It was oddly comforting, like he was being taken seriously despite his failings. Damn this man and the power he held over Tadashi.

No, not _damn._

 _Bless,_ more like.

“--and so I changed the power source to a lighter model thinking it would fix the issue and in a way I was right but now there's this short circuit problem that I can't figure out”, Tadashi finished his explanation.

“I see. Can I look at your blueprints?” Callaghan set his apparently empty cup on Tadashi's desk. Tadashi turned on his holographic monitor and flipped through his files to open the folder titled 'Baymax' and stepped aside to make room for the professor.

“They're all here, go ahead. Please.”

Callaghan studied the blueprints of Baymax's every component for what must've been at least 20 minutes. Tadashi wished the man had at least said something, but he only hummed in concentration, and-- was that a click of his tongue? It was, wasn't it. For the first time in weeks Tadashi felt an ounce of confidence.

Finally Callaghan turned away from the monitor and walked back to Baymax. Tadashi followed, still holding that cup of tea that he had forgotten to finish but couldn't bring himself to put away because it was something that Callaghan had brought for him and he would probably try to think of a way to discreetly take it home with him and build it a shrine. Maybe.

“You made the right call with this new power source, I'd say, but I think the overall structure might be too heavy for it, causing it to fry itself upon activation”, Callaghan said, examining Baymax's arm. “Have you considered carbon fibre instead of titanium, for the skeleton?”

“I-- I haven't, actually”, Tadashi replied, struck by how he hadn't thought of that. Well, he hadn't thought that the issue could be in the basic structure in the first place. In his mind he cursed being reminded of how far ahead of him and thus out of reach Callaghan was.

“We can have the new parts manufactured right away.” Callaghan turned to face Tadashi. “I'll make some calls, shouldn't take longer than two days.”

Tadashi's face felt hot.

“I'm so sorry for causing you trouble. And keeping you here so late.” His voice sounded strained and superficial in his own ears, but at least he managed to somewhat hide his embarrassment. Hopefully.

“Don't worry about it, it's my job. Besides, your project is among the top of this class in terms of potential and I'm as anxious as you are to see it bear fruit.”

Callaghan laughed. The sound made Tadashi's ears ring and skin tingle and knees wobble.

“Don't tell anyone I said that”, the older man said as he turned to walk away. “Now go home and sleep. Baymax will be here in the morning.”

Tadashi could only utter a muffled “thank you” at the man's back before turning away and covering his mouth with his hand.

That was it, the last straw.

A decision had started to form in his mind, one that could have dramatic consequences.

The day Baymax was completed would be the day. It was worth the risk.

\--

50 more failed test runs later Tadashi's determination faltered. When the 83rd test ended up with him getting yet another black eye and Baymax spontaneously deflating and falling on its face with a cracking sound that could only mean something very important had just shattered to little pieces he was finally ready to admit that he was at his wit's end.

He had been so motivated after that fateful night that he had hardly left the lab for weeks, and despite his consequent failures he had refused to ask for Callaghan's help – he felt like it would somehow negate his success, like he wouldn't have the right to approach the professor if he didn't work this out on his own. So he had persisted and poured everything he had into this damn robot.

And that made it even worse.

He had seen Callaghan glance his way with a worried expression on his face almost on a daily basis, but whenever the older man would walk up to him to ask how his project was coming along Tadashi would lie and say that everything was going swimmingly and he'd have the thing up and running in no time.

Of course he didn't expect Callaghan to believe him. But the professor took the hint and left him alone all the same.

Not this time, though.

Tadashi was putting his things together to go home for the night when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. At this point he'd recognize that hand anywhere so he didn't even flinch, nor did he turn around. His hands stopped moving, however, and he felt the familiar warm sensation spread from his abdomen and make his skin burn all over, although now the feeling was laced with a devastating disappointment.

“Tadashi.”

Goddamn that voice made his name sound beautiful.

Callaghan gave his shoulder a little squeeze, and in any other circumstances it would've stopped Tadashi's breath in his throat, but now he could only think of the promise in that touch that he might never get the opportunity to fulfill. He finally turned to face the professor, the older man's hand sliding off his shoulder. The loss of contact made him feel cold.

To his relief he didn't see pity in Callaghan's eyes, but he wasn't quite prepared to deal with the concern in them either. So he flashed him his most winning smile.

“Hey, prof, what's up?” Tadashi tried to sound as nonchalant as he could. He knew it probably wasn't very convincing.

Callaghan crossed his arms over his chest (which was covered with an endearingly atrocious brown sweater vest, he truly was a freak of nature to pull that off) and nodded his head towards the pile of white plastic and carbon fibre on the floor.

“Need help with that? I'm about 97% convinced you do. No offense.”

“Uh. None taken.” Tadashi scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous laugh. “But I'm sorry, I can't accept your help. Not this time.”

The older man chuckled at that and smiled that sort of lopsided smile of his that could melt glaciers. 

“You do understand that helping you is, in fact, what I get paid to do?”

It was Tadashi's turn to laugh, although it was more of a giggle than a laugh and it was so forced that he couldn't have fooled a grade-schooler with it let alone a grown man.

“Yeah, I know, and I appreciate it, I really do”, he managed to stammer out, “but this really is something I need to figure out myself. No matter what.”

Callaghan opened his mouth to say something but Tadashi interrupted him. “I'll tell you why when it's done.” Without thinking he added, “It concerns you.”

He regretted that addition immediately but it was too late now. 

“Oh?” Callaghan's face had become unreadable. Not hostile, but the smile was gone and he was frowning. Tadashi tried to swallow, but he felt like there was something stuck in his throat.

A silence stretched between them. Tadashi couldn't decipher Callaghan's expression so he just shifted his weight from one foot to another and tried his hardest not to topple over. It was as though the professor expected him to say something more, but Tadashi couldn't risk digging an even deeper hole for his dignity. He felt awkward under Callaghan's gaze, but there was something oddly intimate about it, too. He didn't want to read too much into it though. He had had enough disappointments lately.

Finally Callaghan moved to once again pat Tadashi's shoulder before turning and walking away without another word.

Tadashi rarely swore, but what the _fuck_ was that?

\--

“Tadashi, are you all right?” Aunt Cass asked. “You're hardly touching your food.”

Tadashi snapped out of his trance at the sound of his name. It took him a while to remember that he was indeed sitting at the dinner table at home with his family, and not staring blankly at Professor Callaghan's back in the bright lighting of the lab.

“Yeah, I'm fine”, he said finally, “I was just thinking about, uh, about lab work. I'm a bit stuck with my project, that's all.”

Hiro laughed.

“Trouble at nerd school, huh. What a surprise.”

His brother was sitting across from Tadashi and fiddling with a game console. Aunt Cass kept eyeing him disapprovingly, but she had long since given up on telling the kid no, much like most people in Hiro's life, actually. That brain power could be overwhelming and usually it was just easier to let him do whatever he wanted, because he would find a way to do just that sooner or later anyway. Tadashi had always found it kind of sad.

“Hiro, I trust you understand that this actually means that I'm trying to do something I don't already know how to do. In other words, I'm learning something new, which is why I enrolled in the first place. So it's a good thing, not trouble.”

His brother looked a bit taken aback by Tadashi's sudden outburst, but soon enough he returned to his game with a silent “Whatever.”

Tadashi shouldn't have snapped at Hiro, but he was way too tired to take any of the kid's ridicule. Even Aunt Cass was stunned to silence. Great. Just great. He was supposed to be the glue that held them together, the unwavering beacon of positivity or whatever, and here he was acting like a brat. Magnificent.

“I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind right now. Thanks for the meal.”

With that Tadashi excused himself and fled upstairs.

\--

Once again Tadashi couldn't sleep. He still didn't know what to think about what had happened in the lab, and now he was burdened by the guilt and shame from raising his voice too. He had to apologize. To Hiro, for sure, but somehow he felt like he might owe an apology to Callaghan as well.

“Hey Hiro, you awake?”

His brother let out a loud groan and rolled over on his bed on the other side of the room. Tadashi slowly got up and walked to Hiro's bed, and sat on the edge.

“What is it?” Hiro's voice sounded sleepy, but not angry.

“I'm really sorry for earlier”, Tadashi begun, “I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you and yelled like that.”

Hiro sat up and chuckled.

“I think you're the only person on the planet who'd call that yelling, or taking out frustrations. Try 'an unnervingly mild reaction to your little brother being a pompous ass'.” He bumped Tadashi's arm with his fist. “But, apology accepted.”

“Thanks, Hiro.”

When Tadashi made no move to return to his side of the room Hiro scooted to sit next to him at the edge of the bed.

“Um, that thing at school. I'm thinking it's not actually about lab work. Am I right?” Hiro's voice was barely louder than a whisper.

At that moment Tadashi felt a surge of extreme affection for his brother. Naturally he expressed this by lightly shoving Hiro's shoulder and grinning. “When did you get so smart?”

“Well, I've been told I'm a genius”, Hiro laughed and kicked Tadashi's leg, “but seriously. What's going on?”

“Part of it is actually about lab work, I mean I haven't really gotten anywhere with my project in a long time. I just feel like I've already looked at it from every possible angle. The rest I-- I really can't tell you. I'm sorry. It's, uh, interpersonal? I guess that's the word I'm looking for.” Tadashi ran his hands through his hair and leaned his elbows on his knees. “There's someone I can't really figure out, but that's not really something anyone else can help me with.”

“Even if they could I probably couldn't. I'm 14 years old _and_ my best friends are my brother and my cat, I'm not exactly a relationship expert”, Hiro joked and crawled back under his covers. “But, if you can't find fresh angles, I suggest you start over. That's what I'd do. Now get off my bed, my big brain requires its rest!”

Slowly Tadashi got onto his feet, but leaned down to ruffle his brother's hair.

“Thanks. And for the record, you're my best friend too.”

Hiro covered his face with his blanket but stuck out his fist.

“Fist bump?”

Tadashi couldn't help but smile. He loved everything about his brother, but he found he loved him the best when he was acting like the kid that he was. It made him feel like he'd done something right, him and Aunt Cass. Like Hiro felt safe and cared for enough to not put on a show – although the excruciating smart-ass side to him was endearing as well.

“Fist bump.”

\--

Tadashi inspected the mess that was Baymax, still collapsed on the floor of his workspace. He found that the part that had shattered was the case of the robot's program chip, and the wiring around it appeared to be out of whack as well. Wouldn't be too hard to repair, he thought.

Start over, huh.

Hiro had probably had a point. If Tadashi couldn't figure out the specific point he'd gone wrong he might as well just go back to the basics and try again, one step at a time. That could take ages, however, and it still was kind of difficult to admit that he'd failed so horribly that he'd need to trash all he had done. Absent-mindedly he fiddled with the program chip he'd pulled out of the busted casing.

Then it struck him.

Building the whole thing from scratch would take forever. Reprogramming it, however, wouldn't. Not at his speed. And the base of his original programming wasn't faulty, he'd tested it with other machines and it had worked just fine. Maybe one of the updates he'd made on the course of the process had been buggy and he hadn't noticed. He had been busy concentrating on the mechanics after all, so it did sound plausible.

With a newfound excitement he stuck the chip in the reader and wiped it completely clean, before searching through his files for the oldest program backup he had. He'd still need to update it, since Baymax's physical components had changed drastically since the beginning, but that would only take him a couple of days, a week tops.

He'd apologize to Callaghan when he was done. And hopefully he'll be able to tell the professor something else too. Yeah.

Better get started, then.

\--

It had been exactly six days since Tadashi's great revelation. Although it felt more like three very long days, counting by the number of times he had actually gone home and slept. Needless to say he was absolutely wrecked.

Tadashi had both feared and hoped that Callaghan would try to offer his help again. Feared, because he felt like Callaghan suspected something, or was angry – or both. Hoped, because even though he would've declined anyway, having the professor think about him and worry for him was, just. The best. Someone worrying about him, not him worrying about someone else. And that someone being Robert Callaghan. _The best._

Callaghan never approached him, though. Tadashi had caught him glancing his way once or twice whenever the professor was doing his rounds in the lab, but he would avert his eyes the moment he realized Tadashi was looking at him.

Tadashi would've been ecstatic about it under normal circumstances of course, but now it only made him nervous. And also eager to finish reprogramming Baymax, just to finally get the push he needed to address the situation. Which was why he now basically lived in the lab. Thank goodness the building had showers.

That morning, at approximately 6 a.m., he was done.

Yes, definitely done. Probably. He hadn't slept in 36 hours so he didn't really trust his own judgement. He probably should've taken a nap or something before testing the rewritten chip, to boost his confidence, but he was way too anxious to find out if he really was done. Waking up all energized and proud only to find out he'd have to rewrite the whole thing didn't sound tempting. He'd rather just face the disappointment as soon as possible and figure out the rest later.

So he inserted the chip into the repaired casing and activated the robot.

And it didn't punch him in the face. It didn't fall over. It didn't spit sparks.

Instead it talked.

“Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion.”

All traces of exhaustion disappeared from his body instantly.

It worked. Baymax worked. He did it. He actually did it. 

Tadashi couldn't contain himself for one second longer. He must've looked ridiculous squealing and dancing and jumping and singing nonsense like that, but he was way beyond caring, and he was alone in the lab anyways, since most people in fact slept at night and wouldn't come in until 8 o'clock.

Okay, Cardigan Guy (who had been renamed Wasabi by that guy Fred who kept hanging out at the lab for some reason but no one seemed to mind) might arrive at 7. Wasabi was very precise so he took his time preparing for the day in semi-solitude before the rest of the class assembled. Tadashi liked that about him, and he especially liked the comfortable silence they shared whenever they happened to have the lab to themselves.

Sure enough, after a while Tadashi could hear the door slide open and the familiar faint music leaking from Wasabi's headphones enter the room, but he had no intention of stopping his celebration. Instead, he ran towards the bigger man and grabbed his wrist.

Wasabi looked like he just had a heart attack. Tadashi was too excited to feel sorry.

“Wasabi! You won't believe this but Baymax, he works! He scanned me and everything! Oh my god! Come on, let's have him scan you, quickly!” Tadashi started pulling Wasabi towards his workspace. It should've been harder given the other man's sheer size, but Tadashi was so high on endorphins he probably could've towed a truck with his teeth, like he'd seen some really butch guys do on TV.

“No no no no, absolutely not!” Wasabi resisted, “You said that thing can tell everything that's wrong in your body, I don't want that kind of knowledge! Have you no idea how much time I already spend thinking about these things--”

Once again the door slid open. Tadashi thought he had already reached the maximum happiness his body was capable of feeling, but turned out he was wrong.

“PROFESSOR!”

Callaghan almost dropped the cup of tea he was holding.

“Yes?” The professor didn't appear annoyed, thank goodness. He seemed more amused than anything.

Tadashi released Wasabi's wrist and rushed to grab Callaghan's instead, trying his best not to make him spill his drink.

“Professor, I need to tell you something!”

Callaghan's face grew serious at once. Damn, he really did suspect something, didn't he. Maybe he even knew. Crap. Crap crap crap. Maybe Tadashi should ease him into it.

“Ah, but first! Please come see my project, it's-- I think it's finished!” He tugged at Callaghan's arm and led him towards Baymax. The older man followed him without resistance, and once they were standing in front of the robot a smile had returned to his lips.

“Well, let's see it then”, Callaghan said and gestured to usher Tadashi towards Baymax.

Tadashi could hardly stand still.

“Okay, watch this.” Tadashi moved to face the robot and spread his arms, just like he'd done earlier that morning by himself. “Baymax, scan me.”

It took less than a second.

“Your neurotransmitter levels are elevated. This indicates that you are happy.”

Tadashi turned to look at Callaghan. His cheeks were hurting from all the grinning he'd been doing but that didn't stop him from smiling all the wider. Callaghan clicked his tongue. Tadashi felt like screaming.

“Impressive”, Callaghan said and took a sip of his tea. “Well done, Tadashi.”

Tadashi's entire body was on fire. He was silently thanking the heavens for blessing him with skin that wasn't prone to blushing when Baymax suddenly started talking again.

“Your heart rate appears to have increased and your blood pressure is rising. This indicates you are experiencing sexual attraction.”

Shit shit shit shit SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT _SHIT._

Tadashi jumped to physically block Baymax's head. As if that could possibly make the thing stop talking, it had no mouth.

“There's no need to be alarmed, it is a normal part of--”

“I'M SATISFIED WITH MY CARE. OFF. BAYMAX, OFF.”

The robot powered down mid-sentence. At least that much Tadashi had done right.

It was too late though.

No one was smiling anymore. Wasabi was setting his desk at the far side of the lab, obviously pretending not to have heard. Good guy Wasabi. Tadashi made a mental note to thank the guy later. He took a deep breath and covered his eyes with his hand. He couldn't meet Callaghan's eyes just yet.

“Uh. This wasn't how I wanted to... Well, I don't know how to finish that sentence. But I'm-- I'm sorry.” He lowered his hand but kept looking at the ground. Callaghan was wearing brown wingtips. Cute. Tadashi would've bet his life that the professor's belt matched his shoes, but that area was definitely off limits at this time so he couldn't check. Damn Callaghan for not wearing a sweater vest today of all days.

“I'm really sorry”, he said again.

“Tadashi.” Callaghan's voice didn't sound angry, but it was stern. “We need to talk. Come.”

This was it, then. This was what Tadashi's elaborate fantasies would come down to, getting lectured. Oh well, better to get it out of the way so he could get into disappearing from the face of the earth faster.

With an air of defeat about him he followed Callaghan out of the lab and into an empty classroom across the hall. The lighting was dimmer than in the lab, and the blinds were down. Well that was good, at least. He wouldn't want half the people of San Fransokyo to witness his humiliation.

“So”, Callaghan started. Tadashi still wouldn't look the professor in the eye so he had no idea what kind of face the older man was making.

“So”, Tadashi replied.

“Is it true? And if so, is it, Wasabi? That's what you call him, right?” Callaghan spoke in a quiet, soft voice. “Or is it me?”

As if he would've dragged Tadashi here if he thought it was Wasabi. Tadashi took a deep breath. To hell with it.

“Yes, Baymax can only observe reality, it-- uh, he, can't really come up with anything on his own.” Tadashi tried to match the softness in the other man's voice. He wasn't sure what the atmosphere was but it wasn't exactly hostile so he may as well just go for it. “And it's you. It's been you. For a long time.”

When Callaghan didn't say anything Tadashi risked a look at the man's face.

Callaghan was looking at the floor, covering his mouth with his left hand, right arm wrapped around his torso. His tea cup was standing on a desk behind him, untouched. He didn't look upset, more like he was deep in thought.

“I didn't want to say anything before Baymax was finished”, Tadashi continued, “but I did intend to tell you eventually. And I guess that's what I just did. Yay me.”

That earned him a small snigger from Callaghan, and the older man lifted his gaze from the floor and his hand fell away from his face. He crossed his arms over his chest. He did that a lot, Tadashi noted.

Finally Callaghan spoke, still softly, as though he feared there was someone listening through the door.

“I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with this information.”

“Fuck me, maybe?”

Tadashi clasped his hands over his mouth. Wow, he _did not_ mean to say that out loud.

“Oh crap, I'm sorry, professor, I just-- I haven't slept in like two days, don't listen to me!” Tadashi took a few steps away from Callaghan, genuinely afraid of the other man's reaction.

A fear that was wholly unnecessary, apparently.

Because Callaghan was laughing. More like wheezing, like he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. That was... Was it good? Tadashi didn't know. But it wasn't bad either, because one: his amusement suggested that he wouldn't kill his impudent vulgar inappropriate excuse of a student, and two: his laughter was a gift and a blessing and everything that was right in the world.

“Um, professor?”

Callaghan managed to force himself to stop laughing, but it looked like an intense struggle. He was out of breath and there were tears in his eyes. Tadashi was so mesmerized by the sight he almost forgot that he was mortified.

“Tadashi, please don't suggest I fuck you and then call me 'professor' two seconds later, it's unnerving.”

“Sorry--”

Wait. Callaghan said 'fuck'. Okay, he was just repeating what Tadashi had just blurted out, but Tadashi hadn't expected to ever hear that kind of language come out of the older man's mouth.

It was beautiful.

Tadashi decided it was now or never. All or nothing. Make it or break it. And all other idioms or proverbs or whatever.

“Does that mean that if I called you, say, Robert, it wouldn't be unnerving?”

Callaghan's face grew serious. Tadashi was probably walking on the thinnest ice he'd ever encountered.

Luckily he was a good swimmer.

He took a cautious step towards the older man, then another. Callaghan didn't back away or open his mouth to protest. That was good. Easy does it. He took another step. And another. Now there was only an arm's length between them.

“And if I were to ask you to kiss me now, would that be unnerving?”

Callaghan still didn't respond, but maintained eye-contact. Tadashi did his best to project all the sincerity in the world into his eyes, just in case Callaghan was afraid Tadashi was making fun of him. As if he could ever do something like that. This whole mess was so uncharacteristic for Tadashi already, no need to throw cruel jokes to top it off.

“Kiss me, please.”

Tadashi could barely hear his own voice, but he wasn't sure if it was because it had been low enough to be barely audible or because he had a very hard time concentrating on anything that wasn't the other man's face so damn close to his but still out of reach.

And that face looked like the man it belonged to was going through an internal battle. He would frown and look like he was going to say something one moment, and then falter with a sharp exhale the next. Tadashi held his ground.

He wasn't sure whether Callaghan had lost or won the battle inside his mind but suddenly there was a hand on Tadashi's waist and another lifting his chin and the scratch of stubble against his skin and the faint taste of green tea on his lips.

For Tadashi at least it was a sweet, sweet victory.

He let his eyes slide shut and leaned into the kiss. It was soft and kind of hesitant and completely unlike the ones he had imagined, but the hand on his waist was warm and firm and the lips against his own were hot and the hand holding up his chin was guiding him so gently it made him want to cry.

Far too soon he felt Callaghan start pulling away. When they parted he whimpered in protest and as the older man tried to lower his hand away from Tadashi's chin Tadashi grabbed it by the wrist and brought it back up to his face. The skin of Callaghan's fingers was rough and dry and so, so warm – Tadashi found himself wondering what it'd feel like touching every inch of his body. He nuzzled into Callaghan's palm and kissed it.

He heard the older man draw in a shaky breath and glanced up from his hand. He was not prepared. Callaghan looked almost scared, completely shocked by what he had done, his mouth moving as though trying to form words but failing. So for him it was a lost battle then, Tadashi thought. It was only logical, generally university professors weren't supposed to kiss their students in empty classrooms at 7:30 in the morning.

Well, one man's loss could be another man's gain.

And Tadashi would work his hardest to make Callaghan to consider this a victory as well.

So he slowly wrapped his arms around Callaghan's neck, and when the other man didn't flinch away he leaned in to carefully plant another soft kiss on his lips. It was light and quick, and as he pulled away to his surprise Callaghan's expression had relaxed. Tadashi couldn't help but smile.

That warranted another change in the older man.

His hesitation apparently forgotten at last, he took a hold of Tadashi's chin again, firmer this time, and brought their lips together once more. It was rougher than before, and Tadashi sighed happily as he let his fingers get buried in the silver strands of Callaghan's hair. Callaghan's hand left Tadashi's chin and found the back of his head instead, his other hand sliding up the boy's side to pull him closer.

Tadashi tightened his hold on Callaghan's hair and brought his leg up to wrap around the older man's thigh, eagerly parting his lips as he felt Callaghan's tongue brush against them.

Now, _this._ This was good. It couldn't get better than this.

Except that it did.

Tadashi hadn't even noticed they had been moving but suddenly his back hit a wall and Callaghan was pressing him into it and oh god the pressure on his groin was growing and sending sparks of electricity all over his body. He moaned against Callaghan's mouth and bucked his hips to bring them even closer.

Finally Callaghan released Tadashi's lips and pulled back enough to meet his eyes. Tadashi must've looked like a complete mess with his lips swollen and his eyes half-lidded and there was probably slobber on his face but there wasn't one cell in his body that cared, and the man in front of him was a beautiful, beautiful mess as well, hair disheveled and a blush that reached his ears covering his face.

It took a while for Callaghan to catch his breath.

“Tadashi. Are you absolutely, unwaveringly certain that you want this?”

Tadashi felt like laughing but could only grin.

“Prof--, er, Robert. I've been fantasizing about this since the first time I saw you in person.”

He would've thought it wasn't possible for Callaghan to blush even more but he was wrong.

“So yeah”, Tadashi continued, and this time he did manage a chuckle. “Kiss me, touch me, fuck me, go ahead and marry me if you're up for that.”

Callaghan laughed and closed the distance between them once more.

“Kids these days.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise bonus chapter! This is it for reals.

That day Tadashi went home early. With Baymax finally finished he didn't have much to do anyways, and he really, really needed some sleep. And quite frankly being around Callaghan-- no, Robert, after what had happened that morning was difficult – not because he felt awkward, but because now that he'd been allowed to kiss the man's lips raw he found it almost impossible to keep himself from doing it again every time he saw him.

So he had informed Robert he'd be coming over that night and asked the professor for his address. Which the older man had given willingly enough, albeit he had still looked like he didn't really know what to think of this situation. Tadashi still had some convincing to do, it would appear. 

Truth be told Tadashi would've wanted to come pick him up from the university and go together, but his rational mind knew that they'd need to be discreet about this. For now at least.

As he shuffled through the café Aunt Cass caught his arm. She had a pot of coffee in her right hand a little flour on her face, and she looked both surprised and delighted to see him.

“Tadashi! It's not even noon, did you forget something?” she asked him.

“Ah, no”, Tadashi replied. “Or yeah, two nights worth of sleep.” He grinned at her.

“Well you better go fetch it then”, Aunt Cass laughed. “Should I wake you up for dinner?”

“Uh, thanks, but no, I'm gonna go back to the lab after a few hours. But tonight's the night, I feel like I'm really close to a breakthrough!”

“Okay genius, but make sure to let me feed you tomorrow, it's how I show my love and you know how much I love you.” She released his arm.

“Yeah, thanks Aunt Cass.” Tadashi leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Love you too.”

Tadashi was grateful to Aunt Cass for not insisting. That was one of the greatest things about her, really, she trusted him to take care of himself and make his own choices. Although she probably wouldn't be that proud of him had she known what he had been up to recently and what kind of thoughts he had been harboring, but Tadashi trusted her enough to know that she'd never be ashamed of him either. Mutual trust. It felt nice. He wondered if he'd had that with his parents. He couldn't remember.

He left her standing there with a confused but amused look on her face (not that he saw it) and made his way upstairs.

Hiro was hunched in front of his computer, but turned when he heard Tadashi come in.

“Wow, you're home early. Did something happen?”

“Yeah”, Tadashi said as he walked across the room, “something really, really great.” He kicked off his shoes and put down his bag and threw himself on his bed. “Now if you excuse me, I need to sleep for approximately five hours and then I'm gonna go make something even greater happen.”

“So you're just gonna go to sleep without telling me anything?” Hiro laughed. “That's harsh, man.”

“Sorry. I'll tell you tomorrow.”

 _Maybe._ This wasn't exactly something he could explain in detail to his brother. He'd have to figure it out thoroughly with Robert first, at least. What they were, what they'd become, what this meant. 

Not knowing probably should've made Tadashi anxious or nervous, but instead it made him shiver with excitement. He brought his fingers to his lips and closed his eyes, remembering the feel of the older man's mouth on his. In just a few hours he could feel it again. He wondered where else that mouth would be touching him. Hopefully everywhere. 

\--

Robert wasn't home.

Tadashi was standing outside a giant apartment complex. The house in front of him was at least 20 stories tall and looked new, and Tadashi guessed the apartments weren't cheap either. He had somehow expected the professor to live in his own house, but he supposed it made sense he wouldn't, since as far as Tadashi knew he lived alone. Thankfully there was no doorman. That would've been awkward.

He pressed the buzzer next to Robert's name again. Nothing.

Tadashi pulled out his phone to check the time. Five in the afternoon. He had to remind himself that he was in fact not the only student in the program, and in his not-so-limited experience in stalking the man he knew that Robert spent at least 10 hours at the university every day. Oh well. He sighed and sat on the curb.

Robert would come. Definitely. He wouldn't, like, stall and stay the night at the school to avoid him, right? Yeah, absolutely not. Tadashi leaned his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands. There was a queazy feeling bubbling under his lungs and he found it difficult to keep his heels on the ground. _Robert would come._ Robert _wanted_ this. He wouldn't have kissed Tadashi like that if he didn't.

As he waited a few people walked past him and entered the building. Tadashi didn't lift his head to meet their eyes, but he could feel them looking at him all the same. He did consider bolting in after them and waiting for Robert inside instead, but that would be even more suspicious. Here he could always pretend he was tying his shoelaces or just taking a breather in the hot weather or whatever.

He checked the time again. 5:27. He really should've brought something to drink, especially since he basically ran all the way here from the train station. He wondered if there were any vending machines close by.

He was counting his change when he heard hurried footsteps.

Robert was out of breath and there were beads of sweat on his brow and dripping down the side of his face. Some of his hair was stuck to his forehead in a wet swirl, and Tadashi felt a strong urge to brush it away with his fingers. He got onto his feet but used all the willpower he had to force his hands behind his back.

“Hey”, he said with a smile. 

It took a while for Robert to catch his breath. Had he _run_ here? No, he couldn't possibly have. Maybe he'd just walked very fast. Yeah. That was enough to make Tadashi's heart skip a beat.

“Hi”, Robert replied, finally. “Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here”, Tadashi lied. “But, uh, can we go inside? I'm kinda thirsty.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Tadashi followed Robert inside, through the hall and to the elevator. They stood in silence and Tadashi resisted the urge to jump the older man – in a neighborhood this rich there were bound to be cameras in the elevator and he wouldn't want to get Robert in trouble. Even if that wet strand of hair was still stuck to his forehead and the droplets of sweat on the man's neck made Tadashi want to bury his face into it and lick it clean.

Tadashi mentally slapped himself across the face. This was ridiculous. Just a few minutes. He could wait just a few minutes.

After what felt like 2,000 years they finally reached the 11th floor and Robert's door. When Robert opened it it took all Tadashi had to not just push the older man inside. Instead, he maintained his calm demeanor and patiently waited for the door to close behind them.

Just as Tadashi was lifting his hand to bring it to Robert's shirt and pull the older man down to kiss him Robert's fingers closed around his wrist and pinned his hand to the door, pushing his entire body against the cool wood. Tadashi drew in a sharp breath and then Robert's lips were on his, a tongue forcing its way to his mouth and he eagerly returned the action. His free hand found Robert's waist and grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt. It was damp from sweat and the skin under it was radiating delicious, delicious heat. Tadashi closed his eyes and savored the hint of salt on his tongue and the feeling of the older man's body pressing against his. Robert's free hand slid over Tadashi's chest and took a firm hold of his shoulder, pressing him even tighter against the door behind him. Tadashi couldn't help but whine into the kiss.

As though snapped out of his trance by the sound Robert released Tadashi's hand and shoulder and pulled away.

“I-- I'm sorry, I shouldn't--”

“Don't be”, Tadashi interrupted immediately. “That was”, he panted, “that was great. Really, _really_ great.” He grinned at the older man. “You have my explicit permission to do that whenever. Okay, maybe not in front of my family. But at all other times.”

Robert laughed. That was good. Still he kept pulling back, forcing Tadashi to release his hold on his shirt. How unfortunate.

“If you don't mind, leave your shoes by the door.”

With that the contact was lost and after taking off his own shoes Robert vanished to what must've been the kitchen judging by the sound of running water that soon followed. Tadashi kicked off his shoes as fast as he could and hurried after him. He found Robert holding two glasses of water. He took one gratefully and followed Robert to the living room, where the older man gestured him to sit down on a couch while he himself took an armchair directly across from it. Tadashi would've preferred to sit next to the older man, but apparently this was going to be a serious talk so he took his seat without protest.

They sipped their drinks in silence for a while, until Robert set his glass on the coffee table between them and spoke.

“So, what exactly is it that you want?”

Tadashi wondered if Robert had meant to sound that harsh, but he understood their circumstances well enough to know the older man needed him to take the lead. _For now._

“You.” He met Robert's gaze and tried to sound as convincing as he could.

Robert crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“Are you in love with me?”

That took Tadashi off guard. 'Love' was not the word he would've used but he liked the sound of it. Love, huh. Maybe he was in love with Robert. He liked him, for sure, he liked him _a lot_. And he wanted to touch him and be touched by him and thinking about him made him happy. Sitting here on his couch in his apartment drinking water from his glass made him happy. Robert sitting there across from him made him happy. Yeah. He definitely loved him.

“I think so, yeah”, he finally replied. Tentatively he added, “And you, are you in love with me?”

He could feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand up and a cold breath send shivers down his spine. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear this.

“Yes.”

There were no hints of doubt in Robert's voice, not a trace of hesitation. Tadashi couldn't control the smile that spread across his face and an ecstatic fit of laughter took a hold of him. Somehow he managed to put down his glass before he buried his face in his hands in a poor attempt to hide how on the verge of tears he felt he was even as he laughed uncontrollably.

“Tadashi?” Robert sounded confused.

“I'm sorry, I'm just--”, Tadashi managed to say between giggles, “I'm just really happy.”

Slowly his laughter died down, and he rubbed his eyes to get rid of whatever evidence his inappropriately activated tear-ducts had left behind. Why would he cry over this? He didn't cry, period. Still there was a part of him that had hoped Robert would've come sit next to him and comforted him. This was getting ridiculous.

“Yeah.” Tadashi met Robert's eyes. “I'm really happy. Thank you.”

“You're welcome, I guess.”

They sat there staring at each other. Tadashi studied the older man's face, from the familiarity of his wrinkles to that strand of hair _still sticking to his forehead_ and couldn't help thinking that now all of it was his. He wanted to trace those wrinkles with his fingers and kiss the corners of Robert's eyes, and he could. Robert had said he loved him. Robert Callaghan had told him he loved him. It was unreal.

Slowly Tadashi stood up and walked over to Robert. He leaned down and finally gently brushed that damn hair off the man's forehead. It felt much more intimate than he had expected nor meant, but caught in the flow of it he let himself lean further down and lightly kiss Robert's forehead. As he pulled away he licked his lips and tasted the salt of the older man's sweat. He saw Robert's eyes follow the movement of his tongue, and as Tadashi straightened up Robert followed him onto his feet.

They were standing so close to each other Tadashi felt like he might lose consciousness any second. He had never been more aware of how much taller than him Robert was, towering over him like that, and his heart was about to fail him. The heat radiating from the older man was too much, and his scent filling Tadashi's nostrils was completely unfair. They weren't even touching but the air they were sharing made Tadashi's knees wobble.

“Maybe you could”, he whispered to Robert's chest, “take me to your bedroom.”

Without a word Robert took his hand, and Tadashi grabbed onto it for dear life as the older man slowly lead him out of the living room, down the hall and through a door on the left. The curtains were closed – apparently Robert didn't like waking up to the morning sun, Tadashi noted – and there was a large neatly made bed in the middle of the room.

Tadashi released Robert's hand and crawled onto the bed. He turned to face the older man and held out his hand.

“Come on.”

Robert lowered himself onto the bed next to Tadashi, but to his disappointment made no move to touch him aside from reaching his hand and softly brushing Tadashi's hair behind his left ear.

“How do you want to do this?” he asked.

Tadashi weighed his options. The man _had_ told him he loved him. Might as well be honest, right? He took a deep breath.

“You know how I told you that I've been fantasizing about this since the first time I saw you in person?” he started. When Robert blushed _that wonderful deep shade of red of his_ and nodded, Tadashi continued. “And that thing you did at the door, that... That was precisely the kind of thing I've fantasized about.”

“Meaning..?”

“Meaning, uh. How to explain it. You taking control? Of me, and the situation. But mostly me.” Tadashi started to feel embarrassed. He wondered if what he was saying made any sense, and even if it did he was worried Robert would find it disturbing and tell him to leave.

“So what you're saying is, you want me to push you down?”

“Exactly.”

Tadashi could feel the bed giving in under Robert's weight as the man shifted to crawl on top of him, forcing his back against the mattress. His skin was tingling with anticipation and when the older man leaned down to nuzzle his ear he noticed he had stopped breathing altogether.

“I can do that.”

Tadashi could feel Robert's lips moving against his ear and it felt so much better than he had ever imagined that he had to swallow to keep himself from whining again. He released the breath he had been holding and immediately his arms shot up to wrap around Robert's neck. The older man pulled away from Tadashi's ear and rested his forehead against Tadashi's.

“Tell me right away if you need me to stop or slow down, alright? I don't want to hurt you.” His voice was quiet and soft and made Tadashi want to kiss him. So he reached up and did just that. It was gentle and reassuring, just a light pressure on the older man's lips.

“I will”, Tadashi whispered as they parted. “Now, please...”

Robert took the hint and leaned back down to kiss him. It wasn't exactly rough, but the force pressed Tadashi's head firmly against the pillow under it and he let his hands once again grab fistfuls of the older man's shirt to pull him even further down on top of him. Robert shifted his weight and Tadashi instinctively spread his legs so that the older man could lie down between them. Tadashi gasped as Robert let his body relax and his full weight rest on Tadashi's hips.

The weight on top of him was _heaven._ The pressure in his jeans was already getting uncomfortable but it was the best kind of uncomfortable.

He wrapped his legs around Robert's waist and lightly bit the man's lower lip in order to encourage him to keep going. Soon Robert's lips left his and found his neck instead, biting and licking and sucking and kissing and Tadashi had lost his breath again. He was whining and whimpering and making all sorts of noises he didn't know he could, and his hands released Robert's shirt only to bury themselves into the older man's hair instead.

Robert's left hand traced Tadashi's jawline and neck and then slowly slid down his chest to slip under his t-shirt. The warm fingers running over his ribs tickled, and Tadashi was about to giggle when the older man's thumb brushed over a nipple and made him gasp instead. Robert's lips were still on his neck, his breath hot against his skin. Tadashi desperately needed to buck his hips but couldn't because of the man pinning him down, and that made him need to do it even more.

Robert must've noticed him squirming because suddenly he stopped. He pulled away enough to meet Tadashi's eyes.

“You okay?”

“Never better.” Tadashi was pretty sure he was smiling but he couldn't bet his life on it. He was way beyond being able to control his facial expressions.

Ha. That was funny. Mr. Poker Face himself, a sweaty panting mess too interested in grinding his dick against his teacher's body to hold on to his most reliable special talent. Hilarious. He hoped Robert understood the rarity of the opportunity in front of him.

Suddenly Robert was getting off of him and his body felt cold as ice upon loss of contact. No no no no _no_ Robert wasn't supposed to get up, not now and _not ever._ Tadashi's hands were still in the older man's hair and he tried to pull him back down, only to pull himself up with him instead. Robert chuckled at his dismay.

“Come now, sit up. Let go.”

Reluctantly Tadashi released Robert's hair.

“Now, hands up.”

Tadashi obeyed. Robert pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. Then he moved to unbutton his own shirt, but Tadashi stopped him.

“Let me.” His voice sounded hoarse. Must've been all that whining.

When Robert didn't protest Tadashi started to slowly unbutton his shirt, revealing a broad chest covered in grey hair. He sighed in contentment when he saw the string of coarse hair that started at the older man's bellybutton and disappeared under the waistband of his pants. Some day he'd follow it with his tongue. When the last of the buttons was undone Tadashi pushed the shirt off Robert's shoulders, and the older man shook it off the rest of the way and threw it to join Tadashi's shirt on the floor.

Robert brought his hand to rest at the back of Tadashi's neck and the boy almost screamed.

“That's a good boy.”

Now he actually screamed. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the older man's chest. His legs had been resting on either side of the man sitting on his knees in front of him but now his thighs were tightly pressed to Robert's sides and his hands were clasping Robert's shoulders. He was shivering all over and he felt like even the slightest hint of a touch would make him come into his pants.

“Uh, sorry, was that weird?”

Robert sounded worried. Well, guess anyone would be surprised when they say one sentence to a grown man and he damn near jizzes all over himself. Tadashi tried to regain his composure – which he hadn't really been holding on to for quite some time so finding it again was no easy task.

“No”, he managed, finally. “It was awesome. Say it again.”

“Oh?” Robert tightened his hold on the back of Tadashi's neck and forced the boy's head up and away from his chest. He brought his other hand to cup Tadashi's cheek and leaned to kiss him, first lightly on the lips, then on the cheek, and last on the ear.

“Good boy.”

The surge of happiness that sprung from somewhere deep under his abdomen and spread to every inch of his body shouldn't have surprised Tadashi but it did. It was a fluttering warmth that embraced him and made him feel weightless. He drew in a shaky breath and sighed against the older man's neck.

Then Robert was kissing him again and he returned the kiss eagerly, his fingernails digging into the man's shoulders and neither of them caring. Robert's hands left Tadashi's face and found their way down to fumble with the button of his pants. Then a strong hand lifted Tadashi off the bed by his lower back and slipped both his pants and underwear over his ass before gently setting him back down. Robert broke the kiss and backed away on his knees, pulling Tadashi's pants off as he went.

Tadashi probably should've felt at least a little bit embarrassed by his suddenly exposed body but at the moment he could only shudder in anticipation and excitement. Robert didn't look put off by what he saw either. Instead the older man hurried to rid himself of his remaining garments and grabbed Tadashi by the ankles and pulled the boy closer to him. It was both forceful and gentle at the same time and Tadashi laughed as the sheets bundled under his back.

His laughter was cut short though, because Robert's mouth was on him, kissing his navel and licking its way down. Tadashi was squirming under the older man's touch, one hand grabbing a handful of the sheets under him and one over his mouth, teeth digging into his knuckles. He could feel his cock twitching under the warm breath that hovered over it, and when Robert softly kissed the tip and deft fingers pulled back his foreskin Tadashi had to stifle a moan.

Robert slowly and _agonizingly_ licked Tadashi's length from the base to the tip until finally closing his lips around it. Tadashi's head was trashing from side to side and his breathing was so irregular he felt lightheaded – although he couldn't tell if it was because of the breathing or because _his dick was inside Robert Callaghan's mouth._ It was so, so warm and soft and oh god those were his teeth brushing against him with just the right amount of pressure and that was his tongue swirling around him in dizzying patterns. He felt like he was going to explode.

In fact he was about to explode.

Way, way too soon.

He tried to hold it in, clenching the muscles in his abdomen and squeezing his eyes shut, and he tried to alert Robert but he couldn't speak, there was no way any comprehensible sound was going to pass his lips any time soon. Instead he sat up and brought his hands down to grab onto the older man's hair once again and somehow he managed to pull Robert's head up just in time. He grunted as his muscles spasmed, and he hugged Robert's head against his stomach as he came in short spurts that landed on the older man's chest and shoulder.

Robert let out a soft chuckle and pulled away from Tadashi's arms and inspected the evidence of the boy's orgasm. Nonchalantly he reached over to the nightstand next to the bed, drew out a tissue from one of the drawers, and proceeded to wipe himself clean.

Tadashi wanted to disappear from sheer embarrassment. Slowly his ability to speak was returning to him.

“I'm sorry.”

“About what?”

“For, you know”, Tadashi lazily gestured at the tissue in Robert's hand, “that.”

Robert only laughed. He finished wiping himself and then set the tissue down on the nightstand. He turned back towards Tadashi and took a hold of his chin to force the boy to meet his eyes.

“Next time let me swallow.”

That was almost enough to make Tadashi hard again.

“You're really amazing, did you know that?” he said, not trying to hide his renewed arousal nor his amusement. “Way better than in my fantasies.”

“Well I'm glad. I was a bit worried about being able to live up to your imagination.”

The man could stand on the other side of the room and stare at the floor and he'd still be better than Tadashi's fantasies. Just his mere existence surpassed anything Tadashi could ever imagine. Not that Tadashi was going to tell _him_ that. Not without toning it down a bit, at least. Wouldn't want to freak the guy out.

Robert was sitting on the bed with his legs spread and stretched in front of him. For the first time Tadashi had the chance to admire him in his full glory. He found his eyes once again tracing the trail of wiry hair that led down from his navel to the base of his penis and it took a moment for it to register in Tadashi's brain that yes, Robert was indeed hard (as a rock by the looks of it) and yes, it was because of him. He found himself mesmerized by the glistening drop of pre-cum on the tip, his mouth watering and chest tightening at the sight.

“Come here.” Robert's voice was low, the kind of voice that could probably tell Tadashi to jump off a bridge and he'd happily comply.

Tadashi scooted over a little, and Robert grabbed him by the hips to pull the boy flush against him. There was no strength left in Tadashi's body, so he was grateful when the older man gently forced him to sit down in front of him and with strong hands guided Tadashi's legs around his waist. The hot sensation of Robert's groin against his drove away whatever control Tadashi had over his movements and he collapsed against the older man's chest with a sigh.

Robert ran his hands up Tadashi's sides and the boy shivered under his touch, hips finally free to buck forward to rub against the burning heat that was growing between them. Tadashi could only whimper when he felt Robert's mouth on his neck again, kissing its way down towards his shoulder. With shaking hands Tadashi trailed the older man's hipbones and finally sloppily wrapped his fingers around Robert's cock, silently marveling the feel of the hot flesh against his fingertips. Robert grunted against his neck and that gave him courage to start moving his hands in slow strokes.

He felt the older man's breathing grow irregular and suddenly Robert caught him by the shoulders and pushed him down on his back, forcing his hands away from the man's crotch. Whatever protest he might've had about this development died when Robert's left hand moved to his chest to firmly press him down into the mattress, and his right slid down Tadashi's stomach to wrap around the boy's now once again fully erect penis. Soon Tadashi was losing it again, lost in the feel of warm fingers working him up and down and the unwavering pressure that pushed him down, down, down into the soft bed beneath him and everything about it was so right and good and he needed to convey that somehow but the man responsible _wouldn't let him_ and it made it even better.

“Ahh, not--”, he tried, between moans, “not just me, please--”

He was silenced by a new sensation, something hot and hard pressing against the underside of his cock, and it took him a second to realize Robert was now holding both of them in his fist. Tadashi immediately reached his own hand down to wrap around Robert's and started moving his hips. The friction was too much, it almost hurt, but he couldn't stop himself.

Robert had closed his eyes and was now slowly stroking them both, subtly moving his hips in sync with Tadashi's own desperate bucks. Tadashi tightened his hold around the older man's hand in an attempt to make him squeeze harder, and that earned him the greatest sound he had ever heard in his entire life – the low-pitched hoarse moan that escaped Robert's lips vibrated on Tadashi's skin and shook his ribcage so hard he feared his bones might shatter. His thighs started twitching against Robert's ribs and he arched his back, pressing against the hand still pushing him down and came over his own stomach with a loud groan.

Tadashi kept squirming involuntarily as Robert continued his strokes, the friction and warmth against his raw flesh agonizing and _wonderful_ and the look on the older man's face all sweaty and ragged and wild burning into his brain for safekeeping. Soon the sticky mess on Tadashi's stomach spread to his chest as Robert climaxed with a soft grunt and Tadashi's name on his lips.

The hand on Tadashi's chest moved away at last, and just as Robert was about to lean back to lie on his back Tadashi sat up and grabbed the man's neck, smashing their lips together. The kiss was sloppy and probably slobbery and gross but the stubbly chin against his felt right and the salty taste lingering on Robert's skin grounded him. The string of saliva dripping between them as Tadashi pulled away made him chortle. Gross indeed.

“Are you all right? That wasn't--”, Robert asked, “that wasn't too much, was it?”

“It was just the right amount.” Tadashi grinned. “It was amazing.”

Robert visibly relaxed at that, and he brought his hand up to wipe some of the slobber off Tadashi's face.

“You're kind of disgusting right now, and I'm probably even more so. Shower?”

With that Robert stood up and took a few steps towards the door. Tadashi grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“If you think I can walk a single step in the next thirty minutes you're wrong”, he laughed.

“Oh. Okay, then.”

Suddenly Robert's arms were around Tadashi's shoulders and knees and he was lifted off the bed at surprising ease. Now this, this was too much. Tadashi couldn't stop himself from giggling, surprised at the high-pitched sound. His vocal chords must've had enough for the day, huh. As Robert carried him towards the bathroom he lazily wrapped his arm around the older man's shoulders.

“You're surprisingly strong for a professional nerd”, Tadashi muttered against Robert's neck.

Robert laughed.

“Coming from you I take that as a compliment.”

“Please do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend told me that when she tries to picture anyone writing porn all she can see is Ms. Perky from 10 Things I Hate About You. Thought I'd share this with you. Ms. Perky gives me strength.

**Author's Note:**

> As you may have noticed this was 100% me lusting for Callaghan. Sorry not sorry.


End file.
